Beat winter blues with Cantonese lamb stew – a warm, healthy Hong Kong classic

There are many versions of this dish, but most Cantonese mothers and home cooks would say their lamb stew has bean curd sheets, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts.

For Kathy Ng Yiu-fan from Kat-Spirit Nutrition Centre in Hong Kong, lamb brisket is the best for slow cooking. This is a cut of meat from the animal’s breast.

“It’s usually cooked with the skin on low heat to prevent it from overcooking and falling apart. This cooking method also tenderises the meat and helps to dissolve the fat into the stew to give it that rich, savoury flavour,” the senior nutritionist said.

Ng said one bowl of Cantonese lamb stew could have between 600 and 700 calories, and 40 to 50 grams of fat.

Since this dish is usually made at home, Ng said it was tough to give more nutritional information about it.

She explained: “Home-cooked meals usually don’t have exact measurements, and cooks may use more or less of an ingredient based on their taste.”

Ng said lamb had more calories than beef and chicken, but it was rich in vitamin B. This vitamin gives us energy and keeps our brains working well.

8 warming foods to try this winter in Hong Kong

The herbs and spices used in the dish are also good for our health.

Star anise, for example, has antioxidants that protect our body from damage. It can also help reduce pain, swelling and other types of inflammation.

Another ingredient, ginger, has a similar anti-inflammatory effect, and it can improve digestion. Garlic is great for boosting the immune system and heart health. It also helps to reduce the lamb’s gamy taste.

For people who prefer not to eat meat, they can try replacing lamb with lion’s mane or morel mushrooms.

“Both are excellent protein sources and have a meaty texture and flavour that even meat lovers can’t resist,” Ng said.

If you want to try making traditional Cantonese lamb stew, use our easy recipe. It has all the key ingredients to keep you warm and healthy this winter.

Snake soup you can trust: Cantonese dish rich in protein, collagen

Ingredients (serves two)

• 30 grams of fermented red bean curd (about 2 tablespoons)

• 4 tablespoons of oyster sauce

• 700 grams of lamb shoulder or lamb shank

• 50 grams of bean curd sheets

• 100 grams of dried shiitake mushrooms (about 10 to 15 mushrooms)

• 100 grams of water chestnuts (about 4 to 6)

• 1.5 litres of water

• 20 grams of ginger (about 3cm of a root), sliced

• 2 pieces of star anise

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• ½ tablespoon of oil

Directions

1. Soak the bean curd sheets and shiitake mushroom until they are soft.

2. Boil the lamb in water for 5 minutes. Then, drain the water and cut the meat into cubes.

3. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the lamb, garlic and ginger slices and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

4. Add the fermented red bean curd and oyster sauce, and continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes.

5. Boil 1.5 litres of water in a big pot, and carefully add all the other ingredients into the pot.

6. Simmer under low heat for about 4 hours and serve the stew with a bowl of rice.

To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.